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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29216562">A caught tail</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Citysunknown/pseuds/Citysunknown'>Citysunknown</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Lackadaisy character studies [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Lackadaisy (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:01:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>285</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29216562</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Citysunknown/pseuds/Citysunknown</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mordecai Heller has been Fruitlessly searching for the tail of Atlas' killer since his unfortunate demise. Now he's finally got a kernel of truth and a trail to follow.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mordecai Heller &amp; Atlas May</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Lackadaisy character studies [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2145105</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A caught tail</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“...I warned Atlas of the same thing not so long ago.”</p><p>Mordecai couldn’t stop the surprise from spreading across his face. What did Asa mean? That wording, and taking into account his attitude and plans… Could Asa have had anything to do with Atlas’ death? An overpowering wave bubbled up from Mordecai’s chest, a feeling he’s come to associate over the months with the all encompassing rage that had threatened to consume him since the death of his boss, and one even now he struggled with controlling.</p><p>“I’ll have the mushroom saute with extra syrup. … and two coffees. … with extra syrup.” He couldn’t stay here any longer.</p><p>“With syrup?”  He couldn’t risk his position by being caught.</p><p>“Do you have chocolate milk?” He couldn’t let this chance slip away.</p><p>“Sir can I take your ord-” </p><p>“No.” Mordecai rose from his seat, his coat already draped across his arm. he tempered the burning desire to confront Mr. Sweet here and now and stalked out of the dinner. “Excuse me I have work to prepare for.”</p><p>“The tablecloth is wrinkled. I guess he just couldn’t take it anymore.” Mr. Sweet drawled behind him, unaware of the inner turmoil and the hidden scheming. Good. That’s just what Mordecai needed. Mordecai’s mind was still racing. What did Mr. Sweet know? Mordecai paused. In front of the dinner, a car littered with bullet holes stood inconspicuously. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who’s. Though he couldn’t directly confront Mr. Sweet, he did know someone who could give him insight. With that thought, Mordecai slipped into the backseat of the car, content to wait for its owners to return. He’d waited this long. He could wait a little longer.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'd always found Mordecai's character extremely intriguing, but when I caught up to the recent update my mind couldn't stop spinning. There are just so many threads that are left unaddressed, in no small part because the comic isn't finished yet, and yet there is a lot of information already given. At the moment there are two sides that could be happening,<br/>1) Mordecai got suspicious of Marigold after joining them.<br/>2) Modecai joined Marigold because he was suspicious of them.<br/>At first glance, one could draw either conclusion. However, After much deliberation, I came to the conclusion of the second. At first, I thought it was just wishful thinking, I like Mordecai as a character and I personally think the second option is more interesting, but some things made me change my mind. Specifically this scene. What Asa says here isn't suspicious at all unless you take two things into account: He's drawing a direct comparison between Atlas and Mitzi here and we know what his plans for Mitzi are. Quite frankly, he wants her out of the way and he's starting to take bolder actions to do it. This line is a threat. We knew this, and yet it didn't raise any suspicion because at this point we have no reason to be suspicious. However, Mordecai gets suspicious immediately. This only really makes sense if Mordecai already knows the killer is probably already in Marigold. This line of dialogue just isn't descriptive enough to spark intrigue otherwise. When looking at this line under careful scrutiny, the comparison between Mitzi and Atlas becomes even more iron ladden. It's not just that she'll face the same fate Atlas faced, but that she's in the exact same situation. This is not something you'd notice if you were not looking. There are some other arguments one can make, such as maybe the hatchet cases made him suspicious, and this just confirmed his suspicions, but I feel this is unlikely. Not Impossible, but extremely unlikely. You could have a strange string of Hatchet cases for any number of reasons. However, he immediately caught onto this line of dialogue. In the next frame, He's looking at Asa. When this happens, you're distracted by Rocky and Calvin ordering so you probably don't notice that this is the reason Mordecai leaves. Of course, we get a taste for that in the following conversation with Mitzi, but there are curveballs and veils in that conversation too. It leads you to believe that the reason he left wasn't because he was suspicious of Asa having something to do with Atlas, but that he was worried that the murder he helped Mitzi complete was being uncovered. Simply put, this isn't something you notice because you're slightly suspicious of a string of hatchet cases, this is the thing you'd be suspicious of if you're grasping at straws, desperately trying to find an answer. I could go on about this for much longer but I'll rest my case here.<br/>God this comic is so good.<br/>Also sorry if this sucks. This is my first fanfic.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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